Bulletin

First Corinthians 14
Who Benefits from Others Speaking in Tongues?
Brian R. Kenyon

In First Corinthians 14:6-20, Paul made the point that communication that all can understand is much more valuable than communication that no one can understand. In other words, speaking in tongues cannot benefit the church if the members do not know the language that is being spoken! Again, it should be remembered that "tongues" in the New Testament were actual languages. Miraculous "tongues" were not some Holy Ghost gibberish that only God knew (as so-called "tongue speakers" claim today), but they were actual languages that the speakers did not study to learn (cf. Acts 2:4-11). In the next section of First Corinthians 14, Paul shows the difference between speaking in tongues and prophesying, and who benefits from each.

Tongues Benefit the Unbeliever

Paul first points out that God used foreign tongues to teach unbelievers in the past. He writes, "In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:21). "The law" can be used as a reference to the entire Old Testament (Jn. 10:34; 12:34; 15:25; Rom. 3:19). Paul loosely quotes Isaiah 28:11-12, where the prophet told the rebellious Israelites that they would be taken into Assyrian captivity where they would hear unintelligible language (cf. Deut. 28:49; Isa. 33:19; Jer. 5:15). Though the context in Isaiah is different from that in Corinth, God's use of foreign language to teach a lesson to the unbeliever is the common connection. The Israelites of Isaiah's day were unbelievers (Isa. 1:2-4), and God taught them through the use of a foreign language. The unbelievers in Corinth were also to be taught by the use of foreign tongues. Speaking in tongues, like other miracles, was primarily for the unbeliever (cf. Jn. 20:30-31; Heb. 2:1-4).

Second, Paul shows that tongues benefit the unbeliever, while prophesying benefits the believer. "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe" (1 Cor. 14:22). A "sign" may be defined as a miraculous sign, miracle; that by which something is known or distinguished (1 Cor. 1:22; 2 Cor. 12:12; Rom. 4:11; 15:19; 2 Thes. 2:9; 3:17). Miraculous signs were used to convince unbelievers of the validity of the message and/or the messenger (cf. Mk. 16:20; Heb. 2:1-4). Thus, "tongues" were a sign to the unbeliever, but prophesying was for those who believed.

Speaking in tongues impacts the church differently than does prophesying. Prophesying may be defined simply as speaking the word of God, where the speaker's native language is the same as the people to whom he is speaking. Paul says that if all speak with tongues, outsiders will think the church is crazy. "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?" (1 Cor. 14:23). "Come together [be assembled, ASV] into one place" best refers to a regular first century church service where miraculous gifts were used rather than to a special service only for the use of miraculous gifts (cf. the "unlearned" and "unbelievers" being able to come). When a church assembly is characterized by a bunch of foreign languages being spoken at the same time, and outsiders come to learn more about Christianity, they will not be attracted to it-they will think the church is "mad [out of your mind, NKJ]"!

However, if all are prophesying, outsiders will know that God is in the assembly. Because prophesying is in an intelligible language, outsiders will be positively affected. "But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all" (1 Cor. 14:24). First, they will be "convinced [reproved, ASV; convicted, NAS]," which comes from a Greek word that means to show someone his fault or error; show something up for what it is; prove guilty, condemn; rebuke, reprove (Mt. 18:15; Jn. 8:46; Eph. 5:11; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2). When God's word is spoken in the language honest and open minded people understand, they will see the error of their way, and God will work through His word (cf. Jn. 16:7-11). Second, outsiders will be "judged [convicted, NKJ; called to account, NAS]," which comes from a Greek word that means to examine; judge, evaluate (Acts 17:11; 1 Cor. 2:14-15; 4:3-4; 9:3; 10:25, 27). Again, when God's word is spoken in the language honest and open minded people understand, they will examine themselves. The "judgment" here "is not that of condemnation but that of examination, and probably means that he [the outsider] will be brought by the teaching of the word to examine his own heart and life and thus see his lost condition."1

When an outsider honestly examines his or her own life according to the word of God, the outsider will be converted to Christ. Paul continues, "And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth" (1 Cor. 14:25). The "secrets" of the heart are revealed because of the penetrating power of God's word (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:12). In order for one to truly "worship God," one must be His child (cf. Jn. 4:23-24). Thus, the expression can be a synecdoche (a part representing the whole) for being a Christian.

Only when God's truth is taught in understandable language can people know what they must do to be saved. Speaking in tongues only benefitted those who could understand the language. Again, note the huge difference between what the New Testament teaches and the practice of so-called "tongue" speakers today! Let us trust in God's word and the value of communicating it in understandable language.

1 Howard Winters, Commentary on First Corinthians: Practical and Explanatory (Greenville, SC: Carolina Christian, 1987) 196.


	8 July, 2007